More than 50 years Singing together for

THE Tiwi Strong Women have been singing together for more than half a century, and with more than 300 years between them, the stories they tell are incredible.

Tonight, they’ll perform at the Darwin Festival, teaching the stories held in Tiwi songs to new generations.

Jacinta Tipungwuti, 67, said the group had been singing together “forever”.

“It’s good to be a group of us singing, because we love to sing,” she said. “The Tiwi Strong Women are the elders in our community and we want to pass on our knowledge to the young people.” Tonight’s performance, called Tiwi + Jazz, includes memorial duets between jazz in- strumentalists, Tiwi singers and deceased Tiwi songmen and women. Cillista Kintilla, 79, will perform a lullaby alongside a recording from an unknown deceased Tiwi woman.

The idea is that she will sing with her elders to tell the stories of her people.

The show starts at 7pm at the Lighthouse. Tickets for adults cost $36. WHAT’S ON TODAY (August 13) ALL DAY: 1pm: 5.45pm: 7pm: 7pm: 7pm: 8pm: 8pm: 9pm: 9.30pm: WHAT’S ON MONDAY (August 14) 7.30pm:

Picture: PATRINA MALONE The Tiwi Strong Women’s Group (now known as Ngarukuruwala): Cillista Kintilla, 79, Jacinta Tipungwuti, 67, Leonie Tipiloura, 78, Francis Orsto, 32 and Karen Tipiloura, 50, will be sharing stories through song